The oldest and most prestigious college for African Americans in the country, Howard University, was created in 1867 and named for General Oliver Otis Howard, the head of the Freedmen's Bureau and president of the university from 1869-1873. From its beginnings, Howard set itself apart. It offered a broad range of educational opportunities, as well as basic skills, and it was the first university to open its doors to both black and white students

From the 1920s to the 1950s, the nightclub Republic Gardens was one of the most popular spots in black Washington. Pearl Bailey worked there as a young dancer. In 1999, a club of the same name hosted black icons such as Puff Daddy and Magic Johnson, and once again, its popularity is soaring. It is a club that caters largely to the young black urban professionals of the area, the music played is primarily a mix of R&B and hip-hop. On the weekends, its distinctive spinning spotlight in their adjacent parking lot can be seen all around the city, the crowds are huge, and the lines can be very long.

For decades the bohemian caverns club, alternatively known as the Crystal Caverns, or just The Caverns, (or affectionately, "The Cave"), was an after hours jazz hot spot. Performers like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald came to the Caverns after their Howard Theater shows to relax with (and sometimes perform for) the locals. Pearl Bailey was said to have worked here as well. It was a popular night spot well into the 60s, until crime, desegregation, and economic problems forced it to shut down.

In 1999, entrepreneur and club owner Al Afshir began the process of bringing the Bohemian Caverns back to where it once was. He is completely restoring the club, (even bringing back the signature stalactites that hung from the ceiling), and plans to book nationally known jazz acts to provide the entertainment

The U Street area of Washington, DC, once an entertainment and music mecca, is once again hopping. In the first few decades of the 20th century, the area was filled with nightclubs, theaters, and after hours joints, places with names like the Cimarron Club, Club Bengasi, The Green Parrot, Club Bali, The Crystal Caverns, The Jungle Inn, Murray's Casino, and of course, the Republic Gardens and the Lincoln colonnade. In the late 1990s, history repeated itself - many nightclubs moved back to the area, and the people flocked back there, literally stopping traffic on weekend nights. U Street is unquestionably the place to be once again.

At the dawn of the 20th century, before the Harlem Renaissance, Duke Ellington's Washington was the social and cultural capital of Black America. From 1900 to 1920, it was this country's largest African American community. Anchored by Howard University and federal government jobs, this community became a magnet for African American intellectuals and sent a stream of shining talents to the nation for generations. It developed a prosperous black middle class which forged a strong society of churches, newspapers, businesses and civic institutions. Its businesses were black owned and run; its buildings, designed, built and financed by blacks; its entertainment, by and for African Americans. This was a proud and elegant community that flourished despite, or perhaps even because, of Jim Crow, the oppressive segregation that forced blacks to create their own separate destiny.